The buddhist tradition, to which I belong, doesn't believe in spiritual advancement over eons -- actually it believes the opposite -- everything is going downhill.

It is not clear to me that Darwin did believe in God. He was usually pretty cagey. And after the death of his daughter, which nearly killed him with grief, I don't remember him saying anything positive about any deity.   If someone has a correction to that, I would be interested, but I don't think so.

yours,

Peter T.